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Page 309
affection for him, could have commanded a lodging in the castles themselves, but his wife complained so bitterly of the noise and crowding and their effect on her fragile health that private residences seemed necessary. They were also convenient, Salisbury admitted to himself not long after he had been whined and pleaded into the purchases. Ela was always indirect and she never admitted she did anything for his good, but he found himself far better off with a retreat from the court.
Within a day of her arrival, Alinor received a note requesting that she pay a visit to the Countess of Salisbury at her earliest convenience. She was a little surprised. She had not taken to Lady Ela and saw no reason why Salisbury's wife should seek her companyexcept, perhaps, as Salisbury's wife, carrying some message for him. With Ian's reputation what it was, it would be unwise for Lady Ela to invite him to her house when her husband was away. Alinor knew she would have to go, but Ian was out and she did not know where to reach him. Alinor sent a page for the bishop's secretary, told him where she was going, and asked him to inform Ian when she had left and her destination as soon as he returned. She then threw a cloak over herself, summoned Beorn and ten men-at-arms, and declared herself ready to follow the messenger to the Countess of Salisbury's house.
The first thing that struck Alinor when she entered Lady Ela's home was the immaculate precision with which she was welcomed, divested of her outer garments, her men-at-arms were arranged for, and she herself was shepherded upstairs to the countess' solar. The house did not look like the dwelling of a lazy sloven, and the servants did not act like those of a careless mistress. Lady Ela, however, was reclined on a well-cushioned article of furniture, the likes of which Alinor had never seen before and which gave her a strong desire to giggle. It was a cross between a chair and a bed, narrow, with a high back and arms but with a long

 
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